Moyle District Council
Encyclopedia
Moyle District Council is a Local Council in County Antrim
in the north-east corner of Northern Ireland
. It covers a largely rural area of approximately 190 square miles (including 42 miles of coastline) and has a population of 15,000. Moyle has the smallest population of any principal local authority in the United Kingdom
.
As a consequence, in 1991 the local government boundary commission originally recommended that the council should be merged with the neighbouring Ballymoney council to create a new council called "Dalriada". This was strongly opposed by both councils and also by Ballymena which would have gained the Glens of Antrim and a small part of Ballymoney council in the process. After a public enquiry the plans were shelved and Moyle was preserved.
Council headquarters are in Ballycastle
. Other towns in the area include Bushmills
(home to the world's oldest licensed distillery which has produced the famous Irish whiskey "Bushmills" since 1608), Ballintoy
, Armoy
, Cushendall
, Cushendun
and Waterfoot
. The area is very popular with tourists and includes the three best known features of Northern Ireland: the Giant's Causeway
(a World Heritage Site
), the Glens of Antrim
and Rathlin Island
(lying 7 miles off Ballycastle).
The Council is composed of 15 Councillors who are elected from three electoral areas (Ballycastle, Giant's Causeway and The Glens) every four years by a system of Proportional Representation
. The council's makeup is currently 4 Independent Members, 3 for Sinn Féin
, 3 for the Ulster Unionist Party
, 2 Social Democratic and Labour Party
members, and 2 for the Democratic Unionist Party
and one for the Traditional Unionist Voice
. The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson are elected on a yearly basis at the Council's Annual General Meeting in June.
Most of the council forms the North Antrim constituency (together with the neighbouring Local Council areas of Ballymena
and Ballymoney
), for elections to the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly
. The exception is the Glens of Antrim area, most of which is part of the East Antrim constituency.
, Limavady Borough Council
and Ballymoney Borough Council
in 2011 to form Causeway Coast and Glens District Council, a single council for the enlarged area totalling 1796 km² (693.4 sq mi) and a population of 131,564. The next election was due to take place in May 2009, but on April 25, 2008, Shaun Woodward
, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
announced that the scheduled 2009 district council elections were to be postponed until 2011. The merger with Coleraine, Limavady and Ballymoney councils was confirmed in September 2011 and will take effect in 2015.
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
in the north-east corner of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It covers a largely rural area of approximately 190 square miles (including 42 miles of coastline) and has a population of 15,000. Moyle has the smallest population of any principal local authority in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
As a consequence, in 1991 the local government boundary commission originally recommended that the council should be merged with the neighbouring Ballymoney council to create a new council called "Dalriada". This was strongly opposed by both councils and also by Ballymena which would have gained the Glens of Antrim and a small part of Ballymoney council in the process. After a public enquiry the plans were shelved and Moyle was preserved.
Council headquarters are in Ballycastle
Ballycastle, County Antrim
Ballycastle is a small town in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Its population was 5,089 people in the 2001 Census. It is the seat and main settlement of Moyle District Council....
. Other towns in the area include Bushmills
Bushmills
Bushmills is a village on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Bushmills had 1,319 inhabitants in the 2001 Census. It is located 95 km from Belfast, 10 km from Ballycastle and 15 km from Coleraine...
(home to the world's oldest licensed distillery which has produced the famous Irish whiskey "Bushmills" since 1608), Ballintoy
Ballintoy
Ballintoy is a small village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located alongside the B15 coast road, north-east of Coleraine, west of Ballycastle and between it and Bushmills...
, Armoy
Armoy
Armoy is a small village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is 9 km southwest of Ballycastle and 13 km northeast of Ballymoney. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 414 people. The village is on the River Bush between two of the nine Glens of Antrim; Glenshesk and Glentaisie...
, Cushendall
Cushendall
Cushendall and formerly known as Newtown Glens is a village and townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.It is on the A2 coast road between Glenariff and Cushendun, in the Antrim Coast and Glens Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, Cushendun
Cushendun
Cushendun is a small coastal village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits off the A2 coast road between Cushendall and Ballycastle. It has a sheltered harbour and lies at the mouth of the River Dun and Glendun, one of the nine Glens of Antrim. The Mull of Kintyre in Scotland is only about...
and Waterfoot
Waterfoot, County Antrim
Waterfoot is a small village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is in the parishes of Ardclinis and Layd, within the barony of Glenarm Lower. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 504 inhabitants....
. The area is very popular with tourists and includes the three best known features of Northern Ireland: the Giant's Causeway
Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles northeast of the town of Bushmills...
(a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
), the Glens of Antrim
Glens of Antrim
The Glens of Antrim , known locally as simply The Glens, is a region of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It comprises nine glens , that radiate from the Antrim Plateau to the coast. The Glens are an area of outstanding natural beauty and are a major tourist attraction in north Antrim...
and Rathlin Island
Rathlin Island
Rathlin Island is an island off the coast of County Antrim, and is the northernmost point of Northern Ireland. Rathlin is the only inhabited offshore island in Northern Ireland, with a rising population of now just over 100 people, and is the most northerly inhabited island off the Irish coast...
(lying 7 miles off Ballycastle).
The Council is composed of 15 Councillors who are elected from three electoral areas (Ballycastle, Giant's Causeway and The Glens) every four years by a system of Proportional Representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
. The council's makeup is currently 4 Independent Members, 3 for Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
, 3 for the Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
, 2 Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...
members, and 2 for the Democratic Unionist Party
Democratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
and one for the Traditional Unionist Voice
Traditional Unionist Voice
Traditional Unionist Voice is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland founded on 7 December 2007, as an anti-St Andrews Agreement splinter group from the Democratic Unionist Party . Its first and current leader is Jim Allister who, until 2009, sat as an independent Member of the European...
. The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson are elected on a yearly basis at the Council's Annual General Meeting in June.
Most of the council forms the North Antrim constituency (together with the neighbouring Local Council areas of Ballymena
Ballymena
Ballymena is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. Ballymena had a population of 28,717 people in the 2001 Census....
and Ballymoney
Ballymoney
Ballymoney is a small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 9,021 people in the 2001 Census. It is currently served by Ballymoney Borough Council....
), for elections to the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
. The exception is the Glens of Antrim area, most of which is part of the East Antrim constituency.
2005 Election results
| Party | seats | change +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • | Sinn Féin Sinn Féin Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970... |
4 | +3 |
| • | Social Democratic and Labour Party Social Democratic and Labour Party The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom... |
3 | -1 |
| • | Ulster Unionist Party Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland... |
3 | = |
| • | Democratic Unionist Party Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the... |
2 | -1 |
| • | Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
3 | -1 |
Review of Public Administration
Under the Review of Public Administration (RPA) the Council was due to merge with Coleraine Borough CouncilColeraine Borough Council
Coleraine Borough Council is a local council mainly in County Londonderry and partly in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Its headquarters are in the town of Coleraine. Small towns in the area include Garvagh, Portrush, Portstewart and Kilrea...
, Limavady Borough Council
Limavady Borough Council
Limavady Borough Council is a Local Council in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. Its headquarters is in the town of Limavady. The Borough has a population of over 32,000 with 63% of the population living in a rural setting. It covers an area of 586 square kilometres and includes the valley...
and Ballymoney Borough Council
Ballymoney Borough Council
Ballymoney is a local government district with borough status in Northern Ireland. It is headquartered in Ballymoney. Other towns in the borough include Dervock, Dunloy, Cloughmills and Rasharkin. The borough has a population of nearly 27,000.-Creation:...
in 2011 to form Causeway Coast and Glens District Council, a single council for the enlarged area totalling 1796 km² (693.4 sq mi) and a population of 131,564. The next election was due to take place in May 2009, but on April 25, 2008, Shaun Woodward
Shaun Woodward
Shaun Anthony Woodward is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for St Helens South since 2001. He served in the Cabinet from 28 June 2007 to 11 May 2010 as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland...
, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, informally the Northern Ireland Secretary, is the principal secretary of state in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State is a Minister of the Crown who is accountable to the Parliament of...
announced that the scheduled 2009 district council elections were to be postponed until 2011. The merger with Coleraine, Limavady and Ballymoney councils was confirmed in September 2011 and will take effect in 2015.